Gallagher Girl, it's Classified
by A Writer At Home
Summary: This is a collection of scenes from every book in Zach's Point of View. This book reveals something that everyone has wondered – What actually goes on in Zachary Goode's head?
1. Chapter 1

Zach's POV:

(Zach and Cammie's first scene in Book 5!)

As soon as I stepped out of Solomon's old office, I heard them.

Footsteps.

I paused, walked into the middle of the hallway and waited. If there was anything Blackthorne had taught me, it was to come to danger and not let danger come to you. I wasn't expecting Cammie – Gallagher Girl – to step through the threshold and freeze.

My mouth tilted open slightly as I checked her appearance. Her black bob was nothing like the shoulder-length brown hair I used to run my hands through. She was pale; too pale. Her clothes hung off her and there were bags under her nearly-dead eyes. This was not my Gallagher Girl.

Slowly, I pulled my arm from my sides and leaned forward to touch her. So gentle, afraid she would break. My fingers touched her skin, she closed her eyes and I quickly pulled back, not wanting to hurt her.

"Zach," she said when she opened her eyes and stared into mine. "What are you doing here? Are you...? Is it...? You're here!"

I gazed back at her. "Funny," I started, not letting the emotion I had felt through the months she was gone sink into my tone. "I could say the same about you."

"What are doing here?" she asked as if my cleanly-pressed white shirt and khaki trousers didn't give it away.

I answered her anyway. "I sort of...go...here now."

"You do?" She looked down and then nodded when she came to the conclusions no one needed to punctuate. I tried to not let myself wonder what she was thinking whilst she pieced things up in her head.

When a teacher called, "Cammie, I'm Dr. Wolf. We're reading for you," I never urged her forward. I stood staring at the black hair that replaced the soft waves I used to know. I pretended this wasn't real.

"How... are you?" she asked. Her question went ignored by me; there were more important things to discuss rather than my wellbeing. I was more interested to know about _her _wellbeing.

"It's different," I told her, wanting her to tell me _why _but trying not to show it_. _"It's different now."


	2. I Went Crazy

Cammie was gone.

As soon as Agent Abigail started to break the news, Cam was out of there and running down the halls. I watched her; I watched the way her brown hair blew behind her as she ran down the stairs and disappeared through a door. _When will she stop running, _I asked myself as I followed after her, knowing exactly where she'd be.

When she walked onto the centre of the mats and looked up at the skylights, I let her know I was right there. I always was. "You're making a bad habit of this," I informed her, easing closer, hands in pockets.

She never turned to look at me when she said, "You should be with him."

I took another step closer, studying her – Gallagher Girl. "I'm right where I need to be."

I noticed the way her bottom lip trembled for a second but she didn't cry. She never did. "Did Abby..."

"She's telling them now."

And then she asked one thing I did _not _expect her to ask. "Is Joe your father, Zach?"

I blew out a breath of air at the question and shrugged. "No." I shook my head at her and looked down. "I never knew my dad. I don't know anything about him," I said simply. I didn't care. How can someone miss something they never had?

She looked at my guiltily and I saw something flash in her eyes; something I didn't ponder for once. I knew _exactly _what just flashed in her eyes. "I'm sorry."

I smiled; a small one, but a smile nonetheless. "I'm not. I have Joe."

"I'm glad he's awake," she said and then gulped. "I'm glad he's...back."

I stepped closer, wanting to touch her, to reassure her. "Gallagher Girl..."

"My dad's not coming back." She said this as if it was unbelievable that it was true, as if no one knew. My mother did this.

I stepped closer. "I know," was all I could say.

"My dad's not missing, Zach. He's dead."

I looked at my Gallagher Girl and tried not to let the sadness I felt inside show on my face. _My _mother did this.

"I know," I said again.

"They killed him!"

_She _did this.

I stepped closer until we were almost touching – almost. "You're alive, Cammie," I felt the need to point out.

"Mr Solomon is alive," she told me.

I grabbed her arms and squeezed them. "_You're _alive." The sooner she realised this, the better.

"My dad..."

"_You're alive_," I said again, pulling her closer and watching as she broke down; an empty facade crumbling. I didn't pull away when her tears started staining my shirt and I didn't budge when she fell asleep.

I made sure she was in my arms when she woke up.

I smoothed her hair and held her tighter as we embraced on the mats. "Go back to sleep," I said soothingly.

"Zach," she said softly. "Where did you go when you were looking for me?"

And for once, I actually told the truth.

"Crazy." I breathed out. "I went crazy."


End file.
